I nodded rather vaguely.
‘Hardly. But I am sure that you do understand the uncertainty here. And we cannot simply rely on the statements of two women who both have potential motives for helping you.’
He nodded in agreement.
‘I do understand that, and also that I do not appear to be entirely trustworthy. I should have told you about Mother and Sara. But even though I have lied to you, and even though I am not proud of some of the things that I have done in my life, I could never kill another person. And as far as the murder of Harald Olesen is concerned, I have a clean conscience. I was just as shocked and baffled as the others when I heard the shot. In addition, it must still be hard to see any motive for me to murder him?’
I had to agree with that, but his question reminded me of something I had almost forgotten.
‘That certainly seems to be the case. However, I must still ask that you and all the other residents let us check any bank accounts you have.’
Kristian Lund jumped and immediately looked more wary. He sounded exasperated and almost aggressive when he replied.
‘I am sorry – I do not understand why that is necessary. What could you find in my account that could be of any relevance whatsoever to the murder?’
I felt that I was getting very hot now. I gave him my most piercing look and replied curtly: ‘I am afraid that we cannot divulge that for technical reasons. All I can say is that we are routinely checking the accounts of all the residents.’
For a few seconds Kristian Lund looked deeply perplexed. Then he shook his head in irritation.
‘I must say that I feel that this is becoming too personal. And I have work to do, so I am afraid that I will not be able to answer any more questions this morning. I would just like to point out that I know nothing about Harald Olesen’s murder. And in my vulnerable position, it is hurtful that you do not believe me. I will consider the situation and discuss it with my wife, but for now I am afraid that I cannot give you access to our bank accounts. In the meantime, you may think whatever you like is the reason for this.’
I really had no idea what to make of either Kristian Lund or his accounts, but I realized that I was going to get no further with him here and now, and had more than enough to be getting on with. So I asked him to stay in the office for the next couple of hours, without phoning anyone at 25 Krebs’ Street, and got up to leave.
The young Miss Elise Remmen was standing beaming right outside the door and showed me out with great efficiency. And it must be said that as I followed her as she sashayed through the shop, I did wonder how well she actually knew Kristian Lund. He seemed to have a highly developed and enviable knack of keeping the company of attractive women. But I chose only to exchange pleasantries about sport and sports equipment with Elise Remmen, rather than ask troublesome questions about her boss. It suited us both. She twittered away, happy as a lark, and said I would be welcomed back whenever I had the opportunity. If my thoughts had not been caught up in a murder investigation, I may well have been tempted.